The staff felt different in Taren's hands.
It was still the same wood. Ash. Birch. Oak. Willow. Fused together by vines that had grown around them while Solan slept. But the vibration had changed. When Elian held it, it hummed with urgency. A cry for help. When Solan held it, it hummed with harmony. A chord of healing.
In Taren's hands, it hummed with... joy.
It was a light vibration. Like a purr. Like a bird singing in the morning. It didn't pull him North or South or East or West. It didn't point to a wound. It didn't point to a Node crying out in pain.
It pointed everywhere.
Taren stood at the bottom of the cliff path. The village lay below. Smoke rose from the chimneys. White. Wood smoke. The fields were green. The trees were tall. The air smelled of bread and rain.
He took a ste
